Category: Reviews

Inspired by the 1987 BBC documentary Fourteen Days in May, Children’s Poet Laureate of Ireland Sarah Crossan has written a beautifully poignant yet hopeful novel in verse. Moonrise is a story of the days seventeen year old Joe spends visiting his brother on death row as they count down to his execution. Sarah Crossan has usedRead more about Moonrise by Sarah Crossan[…]

The following review was submitted by Reading Rock Customer Aislyn. Having enjoyed many of Jacqueline Woodson’s novels I was excited to read her newest book. Harbor Me is about overcoming the hardships of society including contemporary issues such as racial profiling and immigration. Woodson brings together six children through trial, empathy, and in the end friendship. Read more about Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson[…]

Bellwether (n.)- one that takes the lead or initiative; one that sets trends; an indicator or predictor of something. In Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley, the eldest son chooses to name his ship Bellewether because he says it will lead the other ships across the waters. When his mother corrects his spelling, he responds that Belle isRead more about Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley[…]

Marie Benedict creates an unlikely yet believable love story that provides what she imagines could be the explanation for Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from ruthless industrialist to generous philanthropist. The tale is told from the point of view of Clara Kelley, a poor farmer’s daughter who has immigrated from Ireland to America in hopes ofRead more about Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict[…]

Store favorite J.T. Ellison, whose thrillers typically take place in Nashville, is back with another venture into domestic noir. Last year’s No One Knows, about a young woman coping with the apparent death of her husband after he disappears at the Opryland Hotel, was somewhat of a departure for Ellison, since her books are usuallyRead more about Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison[…]

Fen, a debut short story collection by Daisy Johnson, is captivating. While the characters and stories are not formally connected, meaning the characters from one story don’t know the characters from another, they are all set in the marshy Fenland region of eastern England. The local pub, the Fox and Hound, is visited by charactersRead more about Fen by Daisy Johnson[…]